House Panel Passes GOP Coal Ash Bill

A subpanel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a Republican-backed bill aimed at adding certainty to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) coal ash disposal rule.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), passed 16 to 5 Wednesday, with three Democrats joining all the Republicans to vote for it.

McKinley’s bill answers a number of concerns Republicans and utilities had with the EPA’s December rule, which set the first national standards for storage and disposal of coal ash waste at power plants and in landfills.

The House bill improves enforcement mechanisms by requiring states to set up permit systems for coal ash sites, while removing some of the requirements of the EPA rule, like public disclosure of the status of disposal ponds and pits.